Isaiah 1:18-20 NIV
[18] “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. [19] If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; [20] but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Yesterday we remembered Daniel's words of prayer for forgiveness. The Israelites had suffered the consequences of their refusal and rebellion that Isaiah warns about in this passage. The Israelites reformed, all went well for a while, they got complacent, they forgot about God, they refused to follow God's law and they got into trouble and then begged God to get them out of it. Sound familiar? Of course it does because it's the same thing that we do. Fortunately, God is well aware of our weaknesses. He will give us opportunities to confess our sins and return to him until we take our last breath. What we should not do is think that we can actually wait until then to reform! The more we do what is wrong, the easier it gets to continue. If we lie and don't get caught, it becomes easier to lie because we think no one will notice. The bank robber doesn't start out by robbing banks. He or she probably stole candy at a store, or took money out of a parent's pocketbook. Someone who kills probably started out by inflicting pain on another person or on an animal. When we do the right thing, we find it easier to continue to do the right thing. We need to choose the path we will follow. We can be like the Israelites and accept the consequences or we can follow the path that leads to salvation. Yes, God will give us chances along the way to repent, but do we really want to wait until it might be too late?
